Louis Renault was raised in a well-to-do French family, and his parents indulged his early interest in mechanical contraptions by allowing him to convert the garden shed into his own workshop. He built his first automobile in 1898, and in the following year founded Renault Frères (Renault Brothers) with his brothers Fernand and Marcel. The company built its reputation on racing victories until 1903, when Marcel Renault drove into a tree and was killed instantly while competing in a race from Paris to Madrid. After that tragedy the company abandoned racing, and focused on mass production of vehicles. During World War I the company manufactured the Renault tank, and Renault was decorated with the French Legion of Honor. After the war Renault and André Citroën's company competed fiercely for dominance of the French auto industry, and Renault Brothers began manufacturing farm and industrial equipment. During World War II, as German forces occupied France, the Renault company manufactured military equipment for the Nazis. After the war Renault was arrested on charges of collaboration with the enemy, and died under mysterious circumstances in his cell before his trial could begin. The company was then nationalized by the provisional government of Charles de Gaulle, and the French government still owns 50.1% of the Renault business.